


Earth 24

by Morosevictim117



Category: The Flash
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-12-01
Updated: 2017-12-01
Packaged: 2019-02-09 02:13:25
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,100
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12878010
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Morosevictim117/pseuds/Morosevictim117
Summary: The Civil War ended with the Confederacy States seceding from the Union. They in turn built a wall separating the two sovereign countries. As a result slavery lasted until 1905. Jim Crow segregation lasted until 1980 and anti - miscegenation laws weren’t abolished until the early 2000s.Iris West owns a bakery shop in heavily segregated Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Known for its famous beignets with a steady flow of both white and black patrons.Barry Allen and Iris West have been “secret”best friends since childhood. A bed stricken and ailing  Nora Allen wishes to spend her final days with her son and her “adoptive” daughter eating beignets and playing matchmaker.Will the friends turned lovers be able to overcome the stigma and scorn of their relationship from both communities or will they succumb to pressure and flee north as so many before them. Including Iris’s own mother.





	Earth 24

“You’re out your mind. I can’t close the bakery for a week, there’d be riots in the streets.” Iris said to the 6’2, green-eyed White man standing in her shop. 

“Iris, please the doctors say she doesn’t have long and all she wants is to wake up in the morning with a plate full of your beignets.” Barry pleaded. 

“Your mom’s a strong old bird she’ll pull through. Have a little faith Bear.” Iris said as she sidestepped him and began cleaning up from the days foot traffic. Barry began clearing off the tables, an old pro as he’d helped Iris out many of times in the past. Normally Linda would help clean up but she had to get home to the kids. 

“Not this time. She’s made her peace with it she says. She doesn’t want another round of treatment. She’s tired and this is her last request.” Barry stated. 

“I’m more than happy to send you home with some fresh beignets every morning. But asking me to move in for a week is a lot,” said Iris. 

“It’s not just the beignets and you know it. You’re like the daughter she never had. She just wants to see you. Ever since the business took off you haven’t been around as much.” Barry said, playing hard ball. 

Iris stopped on a dime and walked up to him, 5’4, face full of indignation and fury. She poked him in the chest. 

“That’s not fair. I call her every other day and I’m over there to see her twice a week. I know I’ve been a little busy this past month but don’t you dare imply that I don’t —“ Iris voice broke off mid tirade as tears pricked her eyes and choked her throat. 

Barry realizing he’d gone too far gathered her into his arms and held her, swaying them back and forth as she calmed down from the emotional turmoil. 

“Shhh— I’m sorry. That was low. I didn’t mean it. You know I didn’t mean it.” He soothed rubbing her back. 

Iris stepped back and looked up at him tears now steaming down her face.

“Does she hate me? I didn’t mean to get so distracted.” She sobbed before burying her face back into his shirt. 

“No of course not. She’s so proud of you and all that you’ve accomplished. She loves you so much. And she’s going to give me quite the tongue lashing when she hears I made you cry. She told me to bribe you with money.” He winced at that last part.

As expected she pushed him away before wiping her face and nose with the bottom of her apron.

“What do you mean bribe me?” Iris said crossing her arms, waiting.

“Bribe was the wrong word. I’m willing to cover twice your weekly revenue if you move in for a week.” He said. The corporate side of him taking over as if Iris was one of the companies he did business with and this was a negotiation. He’d be lucky if all she did was cut him down to size. But he couldn’t back down now. It was his mother’s last wish. 

“I can’t be bought. The bakery is doing just fine.” Iris said calmly, belying her rage. 

“I know there’s a lot of repairs to be made, a fresh coat of paint, new chairs, a second fryer. And aside from the upkeep the mortgage is taking a huge chunk of the profits. You won’t see a real return for another year at least. This will get you closer to the black.” He stated. 

She stepped back, pride and embarrassment causing her lips to purse and her head to turn to the side, not meeting his eyes. 

“We’ll be fine. Linda and I will make it work. Just like we’ve been the last 16 months. It took us too long to get here. We can’t fail now,” She said. 

Koreans didn’t have it as bad as Blacks did but it definitely wasn’t easy. And going into business with a Black Woman wasn’t doing her any favors but Linda loved to cook. All foods, not just the traditional “Asian” cuisine and restaurants her people were relegated too. No one else would have given her a chance flying solo. 

“And what about Linda? She’s rushing off to take care of her siblings, because she can’t afford a baby sitter. It’s not just about you. This would really help her out too. You could hire some extra help so you don’t have to do it alone. I know she feels guilty about leaving you at the end of shift.” Barry exclaimed. He could see her resolve wavering as her arms dropped. 

“People would talk.” Iris said. A final Hail Mary to try and get out of going. She had no problem going to see Nora everyday, especially knowing now how ill she really was. But being in a house essentially alone with him might be too much for her heart to take. 

“Tell then you’re going out of town. You’ll need a suitcase for the week so it’s not a difficult lie. And technically it’s not a lie anyway because our house is just outside city lines.” He argued. 

Barry and him mom lived on a farm in Port Barre about an hour from Baton Rouge. They used to live closer, when Henry was alive. Towards the end of his life, he had surprised Nora for their 30th anniversary with the land that he had built her dream house on. He died a year after that. 

“Of course it means you’ll be stuck on the farm for a week but I promise we’ll make it worth your while.” Barry said. 

“I love the farm.” Iris claimed and immediately gave herself a mental kick to the behind. Boredom would’ve been a good excuse to back out of the acquiescence she could feel herself coming to. 

Barry smiled dropping the facade before scooping her up and swinging her around the bakery. She soon found herself laughing along with him, finding the utter joy on his face infectious. 

“It will great for us too. We can catch up. We haven't had a real chance to spend time together either. Mom’s pretty much been resting. We’ll have a lot of time to ourselves.” Setting her down gently he rushed around finishing the cleaning in record time reinvigorated by the fact that he had gotten her to agree. He completely missed the look on her face of sheer terror. Or the mumbled words she spoke under her breath. 

“That’s what I’m afraid of.”


End file.
